5 Home Staging Tips That Will Set You Up For Success

If you’re looking to sell your home and happen to live in one of the booming real estate markets in the country, congratulations! You may not even have to read articles like this one about staging your home for maximum selling appeal.

But if you don’t happen to live in one of the markets where multiple bids come flying in for well over asking price on the first day a home hits the market — or if you’re just looking to get the most you can out of your home when it’s listed — then staging your home for maximum sale price is an important part of the process.

Here are five home staging tips that will get you started on the path to success in your listing

1 – Stage the Exterior of Your Home for Maximum Curb Appeal

So many people focus on picking the right furniture and art to stage the interior of their homes without taking the time to think about what makes a prospective buyer’s first impression—the home’s exterior. Remember: staging begins at the curb, so design your front yard, your porch, and the home’s entry for maximum curb appeal, and the interior may not matter nearly as much.

2 – Clean and De-Clutter as if the Sale Depends on It — It Does

You may be lucky and find yourself in a position where you’re comfortably inhabiting your next home before your old home goes on the market. If you’re not in that position, however, you will need to do some major cleaning and de-cluttering as an early stage of the staging process. A home that looks like a new life could be made in it, not a home that looks lived in, is your end goal.

3 – Staging With Your Own Things

You can stage with your own things and save a pretty penny in the bargain, but you must be disciplined and strip away enough of your personality that your prospective buyers can see a new life for themselves in your home.It is possible to stage your home using your own furniture, artwork, etc. Consider de-cluttering and cleaning as prep work for your impending move. Rent a storage unit if you have to, leaving behind the most neutral (see below) brushstrokes of furniture and decoration that you have – just enough in each room to evoke the buyer’s imagination.

4 – Don’t Overdo It—Less Is More

As mentioned above, what you’re shooting for in staging is giving the buyer enough scaffolding to hang their dreams upon, when it comes to living in your home. For this reason, you will want to repaint any interior walls that are not already neutral colors.You will want to leave bedrooms bare if possible, or sparsely appointed if not. You will want to decorate living areas with pleasant, but not polarizing or “loud” artwork and decorative elements.

5 – When to Call in the Home Staging Pros

Lastly, if you’ve read this and a handful of other articles on staging your home for sales success and you either just aren’t clicking with the idea or aren’t sure you can pull it off, consider bringing in a pro. There are staging pros who work with your own items – people who work on a strategy consultancy basis, and others who will provide the full operation, including the furniture and artwork.

Getting the Staging Right

These days, if you want to maximize the sale price of your home, you can’t leave 100% of the appeal of your home to the buyer’s imagination of what they might do with the bare walls and floors. Staging is a necessary part of the process, if you want top dollar. Approach the experience as an investment: one that if handled correctly, will yield returns.

Justin Burnham is a real estate veteran of over 10 years. As a life-long resident of Orange County, Justin has a deep knowledge of its neighborhoods, schools and business areas. This, along with his s....

The Kurt Real Estate Group - Kurt Galitski

MLS® Disclaimer

Based on information from California Regional Multiple Listing Service, Inc. as of January 21, 2019 10:50 AM. This information is for your personal, non-commercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties you may be interested in purchasing. Display of MLS data is usually deemed reliable but is NOT guaranteed accurate by the MLS. Buyers are responsible for verifying the accuracy of all information and should investigate the data themselves or retain appropriate professionals. Information from sources other than the Listing Agent may have been included in the MLS data. Unless otherwise specified in writing, Broker/Agent has not and will not verify any information obtained from other sources. The Broker/Agent providing the information contained herein may or may not have been the Listing and/or Selling Agent.

Based on information from CARETS as of January 21, 2019 10:50 AM. The information being provided by CARETS is for the visitor's personal, noncommercial use and may not be used for any purpose other than to identify prospective properties visitor may be interested in purchasing. The data contained herein is copyrighted by CARETS, CLAW, CRISNet MLS, i-Tech MLS, PSRMLS and/or VCRDS and is protected by all applicable copyright laws. Any dissemination of this information is in violation of copyright laws and is strictly prohibited.

Any property information referenced on this website comes from the Internet Data Exchange (IDX) program of CRISNet MLS and/or CARETS. All data, including all measurements and calculations of area, is obtained from various sources and has not been, and will not be, verified by broker or MLS. All information should be independently reviewed and verified for accuracy. Properties may or may not be listed by the office/agent presenting the information.